AZ-900 Describe Azure management and governance Practice Question
A company uses Azure Policy to enforce encryption on storage accounts. They discover some existing storage accounts are non-compliant. They want to automatically enable encryption on these accounts without manual intervention. Which combination of policy effects should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Deny (which only blocks new non-compliant resources) with DeployIfNotExists (which remediates existing ones), or assume Append/Modify can retroactively fix existing resources when they only apply during resource creation or update.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Audit and DeployIfNotExists
The correct combination is Audit and DeployIfNotExists. Audit logs non-compliant storage accounts without blocking them, while DeployIfNotExists automatically enables encryption on those accounts by deploying a remediation task. This ensures existing non-compliant resources are brought into compliance without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Audit and DeployIfNotExists
Why this is correct
Audit reports storage accounts that lack the required encryption as non-compliant, while DeployIfNotExists automatically assigns the encryption configuration to those resources and triggers a remediation task. Because DINE can act on existing resources, this combination both highlights compliance gaps and actively fixes them, which is why it is the correct enforcement approach.
- ✗
Deny and Audit
Why it's wrong here
Deny blocks the creation or update of a non-compliant storage account, such as one created without encryption, but it cannot act on resources that already exist. Audit will surface existing unencrypted storage as non-compliant, yet will not remediate it. Therefore this pairing prevents new violations but leaves current infrastructure insecure, so it is not sufficient enforcement.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question required preventing creation of non-encrypted storage accounts while logging compliance of existing ones, with no remediation needed, Deny and Audit would be correct.
- ✗
Append and Modify
Why it's wrong here
Append adds extra fields, typically tags, to a resource request, and Modify alters existing resource properties during evaluation. Neither effect can deploy a configuration or run a remediation task that would enable encryption on an existing storage account. Because encryption changes often require a deployment operation rather than simple property modification, this combination cannot enforce the required encryption setting.
When this WOULD be correct
A question where you need to add a specific tag to resources that are missing it, or modify a configuration property like setting a default value, without deploying a full remediation template. For example, 'Ensure all resources have a cost center tag appended.'
- ✗
Audit and Disabled
Why it's wrong here
Disabled is an effect that completely deactivates a policy definition, so it performs no evaluation or enforcement on storage accounts. Paired with Audit, the policy only reports compliance status without remediating or blocking anything. This cannot enforce encryption because no action is ever taken beyond logging; non-compliant resources remain unchanged.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked for a policy effect to temporarily stop evaluation or to deactivate a policy without deleting it, 'Disabled' would be correct. For example, during maintenance, you might disable a policy to avoid false positives.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Audit and DeployIfNotExistsCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Audit reports storage accounts that lack the required encryption as non-compliant, while DeployIfNotExists automatically assigns the encryption configuration to those resources and triggers a remediation task. Because DINE can act on existing resources, this combination both highlights compliance gaps and actively fixes them, which is why it is the correct enforcement approach.
✗Deny and AuditWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Deny blocks non-compliant resources from being created or updated, but does not remediate existing non-compliant storage accounts. Audit only logs compliance, so the combination cannot automatically enable encryption on existing accounts.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question required preventing creation of non-encrypted storage accounts while logging compliance of existing ones, with no remediation needed, Deny and Audit would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think Deny prevents future violations and Audit identifies current ones, overlooking the need for automated remediation of existing resources.
✗Append and ModifyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Append and Modify are used to add tags or modify configuration properties, but they cannot automatically enable encryption on existing non-compliant storage accounts. DeployIfNotExists is needed to deploy a remediation task to enable encryption.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question where you need to add a specific tag to resources that are missing it, or modify a configuration property like setting a default value, without deploying a full remediation template. For example, 'Ensure all resources have a cost center tag appended.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse Append/Modify with DeployIfNotExists, thinking they can also remediate non-compliance, but Append/Modify only alter properties during creation or update, not on existing resources.
✗Audit and DisabledWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The 'Disabled' effect turns off the policy, so it cannot enforce or audit anything. This would not help identify or remediate non-compliant storage accounts.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked for a policy effect to temporarily stop evaluation or to deactivate a policy without deleting it, 'Disabled' would be correct. For example, during maintenance, you might disable a policy to avoid false positives.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think 'Audit and Disabled' means auditing is active while enforcement is disabled, but 'Disabled' actually deactivates the entire policy, including audit.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Cost Management and Billing
Key term
Task
A Task in Azure DevOps is a predefined, reusable step that performs a specific action during a build or release pipeline, like compiling code or running tests.
Key term
Azure Policy
Azure Policy is a service in Microsoft Azure that lets you create, assign, and manage rules to ensure your resources stay compliant with your company standards and service-level agreements.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every AZ-900 question from scratch — 981 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-900 exam.